Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

The world’s greatest supercar has gone topless with no loss of speed or acceleration. And a set of tyres still costs £12,000. Harry Metcalfe reports

If you are looking at these pictures of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport and seriously considering splashing out the £1m required for the new roadster, a word of advice: wig-wearers need not apply. With the roof removed and the car capable of travelling at 253mph - 371ft per second - there's little chance of a hairpiece staying in place and even less chance of seeing where it landed in the rear-view mirror.

When Bugatti began planning to lift the roof from the world's greatest supercar and provide the ultimate alfresco experience, you can bet haircare wasn't the priority. Getting its engineers to perfect the airflow over the open roof was more pressing.

Now, those on board can lift their diamond-studded sunglasses and see the stars at night. The secret of the car's appeal is a removable semitransparent roof panel. While it sounds simple, Bugatti's engineers have had their work cut out